Program and Project Management, a Consultant’s Value Added
In a recent blog I discussed some basic ITIL training I was fortunate to do with an internal system administrator. (See ITIL Foundational Principles) Within that blog, I noted that this was a full service-based role; therefore, the value added that these services provided were vital to success in the eyes of other business functions.
This got me thinking, what is the value I add to a client with my services?
I focused on the critical services I provide, program and project management, and PMO development and uplift within the life science discipline. I could have taken the easy way out here and simply noted that the successful completion of the effort is the value I added, but I didn’t want to let myself off the hook that easily.
For this exercise, I used three of the four ITIL characteristics of value that are:
The customer defines value – The customer is the ultimate decision maker if a service is valuable.
Achievement of objectives – This should be a no-brainer, but the services must achieve the desired objectives. This means you must have a solid understanding of those objectives during the interview or the RFP process.
Value changes over time and circumstance – You need to understand that your service and its value will change as the customer’s needs change. Always looking for ways to improve the service provided is key to your success.
While necessary, the fourth value, the affordable mix of features, was not included since I wanted to avoid pricing negotiations and costs in this discussion.
For program and project management services, I asked myself:
Has my proposed execution of the effort been thoroughly vetted with the customer so I can be assured that the client’s definition of value is clear?
Are any ambiguities present in the client’s objectives, and if so, am I doing all I can to resolve them?
Am I continuing to work with the client to understand their needs and make necessary adjustments? For example, are there additional reporting needs or shifts in crucial stakeholder meetings that need to occur?
For PMO contracts, I looked at the following:
Do I understand the client’s current state, and am I proposing a future one that both the client and I are in alignment on its value?
As within planning and services, am I aware of all of the objectives of the client’s needs?
Examples here might be:
Are they looking at a complete revamp of the current PMO standards, or is there a need to enhance current deliverables?
Will the PMO focus solely on IT implementation, or will certain business functions also follow developed standards? Some initiation, execution, and closing documents can be utilized for installs, while other standards might be developed for clinical trial execution. This can include standardized project plans.
As is with planning and status, I should always be asking if the needs or the value that I am providing should be modified.
There are additional factors to keep in mind when defining value, including the two elements of value, which are utility and warranty.
Want more details, or if you’d like to discuss the value I can add to your needs, let’s connect.